Edgewood Highland ready to reopen after flood

THE BEFORE: The scene in one of the classrooms in early January when the basement of Edgewood Highland was flooded.

(Submitted photo)

EXTREME MAKEOVER, EDGEWOOD EDITION: One of the lower level classrooms is ready for it’s students and teachers to come home.

(Cranston Herald photo by Pam Schiff)

Posted
Wednesday, February 21, 2018 2:17 pm

By Pam Schiff

According to Ed Collins, Director of Plant Operations for Cranston Schools, it is “Not even a question that the school will be open and ready for everyone to return on the Monday after February vacation.”

After four feet of water from a burst water pipe forced the evacuation of Edgewood Highland Elementary School on Jan. 3, the entire school had been shut down and emergency accommodations set in place.

Downstairs in the lower levels, two classrooms were completely destroyed. Those classrooms have found temporary new homes at Rhodes Elementary and the Early Childhood Center, and will be ready to reopen in the fall of 2018.

For the other students, their classrooms 1, 3, 4, 7, 8 in the lower level are ready to be put back together.

“Walls have been repainted; floors, furniture, supplies and materials have all been cleaned; more than half is ready to move people back in,” said Collins.

The cleaners, painters, and workers have put in long, full days getting everything ready.

“They’ve been in the building everyday, on weekends, painting, cleaning and cataloging,” said Collins. “There’s nothing we could have done to prevent this, it then becomes a way to react and try to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Edgewood Highland Principal Marlene Gamba is happy with the progress being